Making a Difference: Roehampton Research Student Conference

Welcome to the interactive guide to the Roehampton Research Student Conference 2013. The theme for this years conference is 'Making a Difference'.
Now in it's third year the Roehampton Research Student Conference aims to bring together some of the sharpest minds from Roehampton's Graduate School. Please follow us here for more updates and information about the event.

Please click here to return to the interactive guideThe first panel of this years conference will be focus on how our research has, will and can contribute to our understanding and applicantion in the field of health, well being and behaviour.The chair of this panel will be head of the Graduate school, Professor Ann MacLarnon. She has done research on the evolution of reproductive life history characteristics in mammals, as well as brain size and spinal cord size evolution. Using this broad comparative base, she has worked on the evolution of human speech breathing involving evidence from fossil hominids, and most recently on the Flores dwarf hominids, concentrating on the tiny brain size and possibility of microcephaly in the best known specimen.The four presenters for this sections are;

1) Daisy Fancourt (Department of Education)

Abstract:

The Psychoneuroimmunology of Music
Coined in 1964 to describe a fast-emerging field, psychoneuroimmunology traces
how psychological processes translate through the brain to impact on the immune
system. Fundamentally interdisciplinary in nature, it draws together a dozen
scientific fields from psychology to neuroscience, endocrinology, molecular
biology and behavioural medicine to examine the the bi-directional relationship
between mental processes and health.
One of these key mental processes is the deeper effect of stress. Music has
been used as a method of stress relief for thousands of years. Yet the
mechanisms underlying this - the psychoneuroimmunology of music - have scarcely
been examined. Music’s impact on immune function is a fundamental question
which could increase the use of music in healthcare settings, have implications
for music psychology and applied musicology, and provide a new perspective on
music’s role in society.
Drawing on a systematic review just completed of this field, this presentation
will trace the broad psychological, neurological and immunological pathways by
which music exerts an effect, comparing the results of over 30 years of
clinical trials. It will then focus specifically on immune biomarkers to give a
more in-depth and tangible illustration of the biological impact that music can
have.
Finally, this presentation will consider two questions key to the conference's
theme: what future research directions need to be taken to make a difference to
the field; and, focusing on a case study of a recent NHS arts-in-health
project, how can the results from this research be turned into programmes that
will make a difference to patient outcomes.

(256 words)

Biography:

Daisy studied at Christ Church, Oxford and King's
College, London before commencing her PhD at Roehampton University in January
2013, supervised by Professor Adam Ockelford (Applied Music Research) and Dr
Abi Belai (Life Sciences). She is also actively involved in the application of
the results of research in music and medicine in healthcare settings and,
alongside her PhD, currently manages the performing arts programme at Chelsea
and Westminster Hospital, London.

2) Aleksandër Trajçe (Department of Life Sciences)

Abstract:

Public
perceptions of large carnivores in Albania

To test differences in attitudes towards wolves, bears
and lynx in Albania and the implications that might arise for their
conservation, a human dimensions survey was conducted between April 2007 and
January 2009 (n = 397). From the existing information on the distribution and
abundance of large carnivores in Albania wolves are considered the most common
and widespread species, whereas lynx the most rare and endangered. We
documented differences in public attitudes and beliefs towards the three large
carnivore species. Wolves were consistently ranked as the most negative species
and support for their conservation was lower than for bears and lynx. In
addition, wolves were reported as the most damage-causing species and the level
of conflict tolerance towards them was low. People tended to differentiate
wolves from bears and lynx; however they generally expressed more similar and
positive attitudes for the other two. The current conservation trends that
treat large carnivores as a “functional guild” might therefore not be
appropriate for Albania. Management plans and conservation initiatives,
especially those that are based on public outreach, should keep wolves separate
from bears and lynx as lower public support for wolves might jeopardise the
conservation of the other two. Bears and lynx can potentially be treated
together based on their similar conservation issues and public support, whereas
wolves need to be addressed separately from a conflict-solution point of view.

I am a PhD candidate in anthropology (human-animal
studies). My background is in nature conservation; I have obtained an MSc
degree in Biodiversity, Conservation and Management from the University of
Oxford in 2010 and worked as a wildlife researcher at the Balkan Lynx Recovery
Programme since 2006. My research
interests focus on the interrelationships between humans and large carnivores
and how they might relate to issues of conservation.

3) Damiano Weitowitz (Department
of Life Sciences)Abstract:Describing the
distribution of groundwater fauna in the UK and analysing the factors
controlling it

It
is thought that groundwater ecosystems are complex networks in which biotic and
abiotic factors interact to provide essential services. Some of the proposed
services of groundwater invertebrates, known as stygobites, include the
maintenance of water flow and quality and promotion of microbial growth with
knock-on effects for processes such as denitrification.

However, the groundwater environment remains neglected although
public interest in groundwater as a resource has increased in recent years 9
stygobite species have been described in the UK so far, compared to hundreds of
species in continental Europe. However, it is thought that species may yet await
discovery, because stygobites are cryptic and several areas lack sampling
efforts. This thesis has the goal to extend our knowledge of stygobite
distributions within UK aquifers. Also, it will investigate the factors
controlling the distribution and abundance of stygobites. I believe that an
enhanced understanding of the ecology of groundwater will ultimately help to
protect this so much needed resource for the future.

My aim for the conference is to introduce the scope of my
research. As part of the latter I will provide a summary of my research
questions, which include the assessment of different geologies as faunal
habitats, mark-recapture studies to assess species abundance and an analysis of
environmental factors governing the distribution of the crustacean class
Copepoda. I also intend to show some preliminary analysis.

Biography

I attended The University
of St. Andrews between 2003-2009 where I gained a BSc in Behavioural
Biology. Between 2009-2010 I was a research assistant in a project assessing the
behaviour and stress responses of chacma baboons in the Cape of Good Hope
National Reserve. I then completed a MSc in Integrative Bioscience at the
University of Oxford between 2010-2011, before assisting in a camera trap
monitoring program focusing on lynx in the Bavarian National Forests.

4) James Munro (Department of Psychology)

Abstract:

The human mirror neuron system: Have we been
looking into the mirror of Erised?

The human mirror neuron system (MNS) is not only a
focus of extensive research directed at understanding how we learn from our
world, but a phenomenon inspiring dance routines, therapeutic methods and
passionate presentations of its role as the next great leap in human evolution.
Despite the excitement around the discovery of a neural system which may
provide a deeper connection between individuals than once expected, there is a
lot of confusion and contention about even its most basic functions. Does the
MNS allow us to understand and/or predict the goals of another individual? Is
it influenced by our desires, our motivations or the context in which we
observe actions? Do we even know where the system is? My PhD thesis aims to
provide answers to these questions and to evaluate the efficacy of one of the
more modern theories examining its function; associative learning. This theory
interprets the MNS not as an adaptation for action understanding or prediction,
but as a general mechanism for association. Its proponents have determined that
the ‘mirror response’ (in which a perceived action activates the same brain
region as an identical or similar
executed action) can be strengthened, weakened, abolished or ever reversed
through brief training sessions. The associative learning perspective proposes
that the apparent social significance of the MNS is but a strong link between
performing an action and the sight of performing it, rather than a specific and
game-changing adaptation with more fantastic implications. Perhaps “mirror” is
an entirely misleading name.

Biography: After graduating with a
1st from my undergraduate degree up in The University of Abertay
Dundee, I decided I wanted an easy and peaceful life, so I traveled to London
and took up neuropsychology.

Sigh...

My dissertation was on
the impacts of sexual selection on human behaviour and cognition, and for a
brief period I studied the social lives of primates at Edinburgh zoo. This work
inspired me to lean towards the biological side of psychology. My main area of
interest now is the human mirror neuron system.

The second panel for the Roehampton Research Student conference will focus on
how our research 'Challenges the Arts'.

The panel chair for this
research is to be confirmed. Please refer back to this page for updates.

1) Alice Hasmik Kolandjian (Department of English and
Creative Writing)

Abstract

My
research analyzes women writers from the Romantic period that utilize the
Classics, particularly the works of Ovid and Apuleius, and tailor their own
versions of the myths to address the perception of women and gender roles of the
period. More specifically, my work focuses on Mary Robinson’s Sappho and Phaon
(1796), Mary Tighe’s Psyche; or, The Legend of Love (1805), and Mary Shelley’s
Proserpine (completed 1820). Aside from being written by women, all three
pieces deal with views that strongly suggested women’s primary place was within
the domestic realm. These works oppose characterizations of women that upheld
restrictive roles such as weakness, naivety, and passivity. Contrasting to
these characteristics, the female characters embody strong traits such as
endurance, independence, and activeness.

I
am interested in how and why these women writers use the Classics to question
gender roles. Furthermore, I am interested in what sources they use and how
they use them. My research analyzes the subtle changes made to the original
texts, what these changes suggest, and how these changes affect the
understanding of women and gender roles. The goal of my research is to better
understand how Robinson, Tighe and Shelley address the perception of women,
recreate women’s place in myths, and challenge restrictive gender models. I
will also investigate these women’s education and their access to the Classics.
Although focused on these three pieces, my research will incorporate other
significant works that connect to these works.

Brief Bio

Alice
Hasmik Kolandjian is currently a PhD English Literature Student at the
University of Roehampton. Originally from Los Angeles, California, she received
her B.A. in English from UCLA in 2010 and her M.A. in English Literature from
CSUN in 2012. Her current research focuses on Mary Robinson, Mary Tighe, and
Mary Shelley and their use of the Classics to address perceptions of gender.

2) James Davies (Department of English and Creative
Writing)

Abstract

Minimalism and Slowness.

My
practice based research is an investigation into minimalist poetry. Part of my
project seeks to define what constitutes a poetics which uses minimalism as its
primary stylistic method and philosophy. The inquiry outlines a number of key
techniques and/or outcomes which might be inherent in such poetries. One such
characteristic of minimalist poetry I call ‘slowness’. In this method poets
attempt to slow down the reading process in structural terms, making aspects of
the work spatial rather than time based. Slowness should not be confused with
writing that holds us due to its complexity or non-comprehensibility. On the
contrary, slowness directs and permits readers to have long and intense
engagements with often very simple works, works which entertain the idea of the
hyper-beautiful, the possible and which interfere with the speed of capitalist
consumption. I will outline a number of ways in which poets have done this in
the twentieth and twenty first centuries and then offer a few examples of how I
am adapting this particular method in my creative practice both in page based
and digital poetry.

Biography:

James
Davies is the author of Plants, Absolute Elsewhere and Acronyms.
In 2008 he co-founded The Other Room poetry series in Manchester and set up his
poetry press if p then q. He is studying for a PhD in Creative Writing at The
University of Roehampton with a particular focus on minimalist poetry and
writers such as Robert Grenier, P. Inman and Stephen Ratcliffe.

3) Cristina de Lucas (Department of Dance)

Abstract

Four Early Narrative Ballets by Kenneth MacMillan

My
proposal is intended to open up a debate in the role of research in the arts.
My project focuses on dance as a theatrical art and the work of a specific
choreographer but the impact my research can make both in and outside the
academia shares common traits with the research carried out in other areas such
as Film, Performance or Literary Studies. Is research in arts and culture a
matter of interest for the academic world only? Can it be of any use to
society? I will offer some tentative answers based on examples from my own
project.

My
project investigates four narrative ballets by the British choreographer Kenneth
MacMillan (1929-1992). My aim is to examine the context and internal elements
of these pieces (choice of subject matter, movement style, structure,
characters, music, design, etc.), extracting conclusions about his
choreographic devices and influences. I am particularly interested in the way
MacMillan deals with narrative. How does he develop a story? Which elements
does he use to delineate the characters? How are emotions and ideas expressed?
What is the relevance of movement? How is it combined with other ingredients
such as music or set and costume designs? These are some of my research
questions.

Biography:

Cristina
de Lucas possesses an interdisciplinary background in Law, English Philology
and Ballet Studies. In her professional career she has combined roles as
diverse as legal advisor, cultural promoter or arts critic. In addition to her
research at Roehampton, she keeps on writing about dance and cinema,
contributing regularly to several publications in Spain and UK.

The panel chair for this
section is to be confirmed. Please refer back to this page for updates.

Please note there will be three
presenters in this panel. The first and thirds presenter will be confirmed and printed in
the programme for the day.

1) TBC

2) Nahoko Mulvey (Department of Education)

Abstract

Title:
Aiming to Unveil Japanese as a Heritage Language Education in England

My
study investigates Japanese language education for children of Japanese people
living permanently in England. These children have gained some
competence in Japanese at home, though they are educated in mainstream school
in English. In the literature this competence is generally referred
to as Japanese as a Heritage Language (JHL). Since
the 1990s, Heritage Language (HL) has been gaining significant attention in US
research, policy and practice. Especially since the September 11
attacks, there has been an increasing interest in expanding the nation’s
linguistic resources by preserving and training HL competence. Specific
research on JHL education started at the end of the 1990s in North
America. Though some researchers have revealed characteristics of
JHL learners, the content of and approach to JHL education has not been
established yet. In England, more than 700,000 children speak at least 300
languages, and across the UK at least 6l different languages are taught in
about 5,000 supplementary schools (CILT, 2005; Minty et al., 2008). They are
voluntary schools provided by ethnic minority communities, demonstrating a
multilingual England, often hidden from the mainstream (Creese et al.,
2008). Though some researchers are investigating HL education in other
languages, JHL education has been scarcely investigated in England. In
addition to 7supplementary schools funded by the Japanese
government, I have found 10 grass-root Japanese weekend schools in England in
my preliminary research. As the initial stage of my JHL education research I
would like to shed light on the current circumstances of these 10 schools.

Biography

Nahoko
has been involved in language education for many years at schools and
universities in Japan, Australia and in the UK. Her research
interest in Japanese as a heritage language arose while working for a Japanese
ethnic school in Brisbane, attended on Saturdays by the children of Japanese
living permanently in Australia. She investigates Japanese as a heritage
language education in England under the supervision of Prof. Suzy Harris and
Prof. Tope Omoniyi.

This panel will be chaired by Dr. Anna
Seymour. Dr. Seymour is a dramatherapist
and supervisor and is a director of the training organisation the Northern
Trust for Dramatherapy. She is Senior Lecturer in Dramatherapy at the
University of Roehampton, London with extensive experience as a trainer in the
UK and internationally. She is editor of the British Association of
Dramatherapists journal Dramatherapy and has published on theatre and
Dramatherapy. She has a background in professional theatre and university
teaching, trained in biomechanics with Gennadi Bogdanov (Moscow Theatre of
Satire) and in Commedia Dell’Arte most recently (2011) with Antonio Fava in
Italy.

The presenters in this
panel will be as follows;

1) Ayda Mahani (Department of Psychology)

Abstract:

Historically, in the UK, sexual assault of women has
been driving the agenda (see Home Office, 2009). Therefore, the sexual assault
of men is less researched, especially if the male is gay, bisexual,
transgender, gender variant or queer (GBTGQ). The experience of GBTGQ men can
differ, from heterosexual men’s experiences of sexual assault, due to the added
impact of cultural and social stressors such as heterosexism and sexism. It is
important to understand the diversity, and socially contextualised nature of
GBTGQ men’s experiences, in surviving the impact and aftermath of sexual
assault. The current social and political context influences treatment and
community awareness of the sexual assault of GBTGQ men. Using Grounded Theory,
this study aims to conduct interviews with a minimum of 5 GBTGQ men who experienced
sexual assault and with a minimum of 5 service representatives who help and
support individuals who experienced sexual assault. The study aims to gain a
deeper level knowledge about the sexual assault of GBTGQ men through the
stories of men that identify as GBTGQ as well as through service
representatives who support male victims. The implications of the research also
extend to gender – and although research into sexual assault shows the effects
of the assault for understanding sexual behaviours, the emphasis rarely extends
to talking about the way the assault implicates gender and sexual meanings.
Therefore, this research will interrogate implications for gender in relation
to definitions of maleness and masculinity by including those who define as gender
variant, transgender or queer.

Biography:

I am a Counselling Psychologist in Training at the
University of Roehampton and as part of my course and training I will be
conducting a doctoral study. I am presently researching sex, genders and
sexualities in relation to sexual assault. Research is also focused on the
sociology of sexual assault in relation to genders, sexualities and sexual
meanings. Queer theory and intersectionality theory is central to the research

Using six
parameters- “overall amount of aid, countries and organisations receiving it,
how much aid each of these countries and organisations receives, what the aid
is used for, the terms of the aid, [and] the percentage of the aid tied to
purchases in the donor country” Lancaster (2006, p.17), this paper attempts a
holistic assessment of the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of foreign aid in
Sub-Saharan Africa. More specifically, this paper interrogates the dynamic
relationship between foreign aid, arms proliferation/military expenditure and conflict
resolution in Africa, with special interest in the Boko
Haram and Niger Delta insurgencies. The need to study this hinges on several
factors: negligible impact of aid in most recipient communities, emerging news
of commercially-motivated rather than developmental-motivated aid, direct and
indirect impact of aid on internal conflicts, as well as growing public concern
on the need and effectiveness of aid. This paper contributes to the body of
literature on the need to clearly define and redefine the purpose of aid, as
well as suggests ways that can help mitigate the unintended consequences of
foreign aid on internal conflicts. In this study, I take ambitious steps in
submitting recommendations that can impact positively on the effectiveness of
aid and conflict resolution in Africa.

Biography

I
am a PhD student from the department of Social Sciences, University of
Roehampton. My research area borders on the subject of
Counter-terrorism/Counterinsurgency in Africa, with special interest in the
Boko Haram and Niger Delta insurgencies. I am particularly looking at the
concept of Development as a viable counterterrorist measure.
I have a solid background in human rights and I have served different
high-profile roles in relevant NGOs.

3) Daliany Kersh (Department of Humanities)

Abstract:

This presentation aims to consider why
prostitution, which was significantly controlled for over 30 years following
the Cuban Revolution, suddenly re-emerged to such an extent that it has become
a “social phenomenon.” Prior to collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba had been
financially dependent on its powerful Communist ally and this loss of patronage
resulted in a monumental financial crisis, referred to as the ‘Special Period.’
The hypothesis is that this event disproportionately affected Cuban women and
this together with the introduction of mass tourism, which produced a
substantial demand for sexual services, resulted in the widespread practice of
Jineterismo.

I will be defining “Jineterismo” as a whole range
of romantic or sexual approaches intended to obtain money from the influx of
new “sex tourists” and examining the three main arguments relating to its
practice; economic necessity, lack of social morality and materialism. The
paper is based on my MA dissertation research that employed academic literature
on feminism, sex tourism, prostitution, and the feminization of poverty in
conjunction with ethnographic fieldwork which I conducted myself in Cuba in
June 2012.

I hope to ‘make a difference’ with my research by
highlighting the key contemporary issues that affected Cuban women, a socially
excluded population, during this crucial event in contemporary Cuban history
where after 30 years of Socialism, living standards plummeted dramatically. By
employing oral histories, my qualitative paradigm therefore allows Cuban women
to chronicle this event in their own words, giving an ‘alternative’, more
authentically Cuban examination of Jineterismo.

Biography:

My name is Daliany Kersh, I have a BA in Modern
Languages (Spanish & French) and an MA in Latin American Studies. I started
my History PhD in January provisional titled 'Jineterismo' and the
'feminisation' of the Special Period.

English has become a global lingua franca and one
of the implications of its spread is the rise of new varieties of English and
their effect on Language teaching and testing. There is no doubt that the
influences of the local languages of the non-native speakers have affected the
way English has emerged in different parts of the world. It has become adopted
for communication purpose by many nations in the world. In non-native speaker
contexts today, it has grown, developed with a ‘distinctive local flavour’
(Bamgbose 2006:105), nativised, indigenized to accommodate the sociolinguistic
and socio cultural context of the people (Akindele& Adegbite 1999).

Traditionally, English language pronunciation
teaching was generally based on native-speaker norms usually RP British English
or GA (General American). However, in recent years, there has been a trend away
from the use of native speaker norms (Jenkins 2000). Considering the reality
that English has spread and the rise of new Englishes, the question has arisen
as to what pronunciation model teachers should employ. Should international
tests continue to measure proficiency in relation to native speaker’s norm?

This paper seeks to argue that given Nigeria
sociolinguistics situation, it is unrealistic to use a borrowed variety of
Spoken English. This paper will focus on local variations of English in Nigeria
with particular reference to spoken English in which the variations are most
noticeable.

Biography:

I am currently registered on the MPhil/PhD programme
at Roehampton University and looking at the Intelligibility of Nigerian English
speakers as regards pronunciation to different speakers of English and the
Problems encountered by Nigerian Learners of English. I started this project as
part of my MA degree in English Language Teaching at the University of East
London in 2012 and obtained my BA in English from OAU, Ile Ife, Nigeria in
2009.

The most important things you need to know are where and when the conference is taking place!The conference will be taking place on the 7th June 2013.The conference will be held in The Portrait Room, Grove House, Froebel College. University of Roehampton.

Got it? Good.Now all you need to do is register! You can do that by clicking here.

When and where?

The Theme

This interdisciplinary research student conference aims to bring together the diverse range of research taking place at Roehampton's Graduate School and the effects it intends to make.

Throughout all university departments there is an increasing focus on demonstrating the effects of research for wider scrutiny. The difference that early-career researchers hope to make, and can show they can make, is of central concern both to the success of the researcher and to the wider university. This raises pressing questions, and common connections, between research students at the threshold of contributing their work to academia, industry or public life. What goals or transformations do we seek to bring about? How can these be measured, and what problems are presented therein? Why do we seek to contribute this research, and what differences do we hope to see within our fields?